54 - Live Interview with Michael Skinner

Michael Skinner is an award-winning advocate, educator, writer and critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, guitarist, addressing the issues of trauma, abuse and mental health concerns through public speaking, writing and his music. He has spoken at the National Press Club, was a keynote presenter for a conference held by the United Nations, The State Department and Georgetown University on the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children and adults and he was part of the groundbreaking Oprah Winfrey Shows that addressed the issues of males sexually abused as children. Since 1993, Michael’s uplifting and heartwarming story and songs of Hope and Healing has impacted thousands of people every year throughout the country. His presentations at colleges, universities, high schools, mental health centers and conferences, churches, civic groups, sexual assault and domestic violence support centers and conferences, including a women’s correctional center in Hawaii are highly acclaimed. He has appeared on many TV, radio and Internet shows and has been the subject of many news articles regarding child abuse and mental health. Michael is also a frequent and sought after blogger on several websites and writer of articles for mental health publications. He has contributed chapters for three books, “Jyu No Tobira” [ “The Door To Freedom - Live Your Life From Today”] published in Japan, “Our Encounters with Suicide”, Europe and Great Britain and, “You Can Help: A Guide for Family & Friends of Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Assault”, United States. His role as a consultant and trainer for the Federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors has been crucial in helping to shape the policy initiatives and directives for the delivery and implementation of trauma informed care and services. And he has worked with organizations nationwide to address the stigma of mental health and ending the silence of child abuse and suicide. Michael is also the founder and director of The Surviving Spirit; a monthly newsletter and website sharing resources to help those impacted by trauma, abuse and mental health challenges. Contact info for Michael Skinner: Email: [email protected] Twitter/X #1: https://twitter.com/MichaelSkinne11  Twitter/X #1: https://twitter.com/SurvivinSpirit Website #1: www.mskinnermusic.com  Website #2: www.survivingspirit.com Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MichaelSkinnerMusic/featured Other Links Mentioned: The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk M.D. (links to Amazon) SAMHSA (links to their website)  National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (links to their website) Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life (links to Amazon)  Previous HFMS podcast episode mentioned (links to Spotify):   Episode 38 - Weird Symptoms Episode 16 - 200 Men Came Forward Oprah's "200 Men Come Forward" television event is available to watch on Oprah.com Watch PART 1 here Watch PART 2 here (preview only - full episode is not available) TEXT SUMMARY of PART 2 RAINN EMDR EFT - Emotional Freedom Techniques Somatic Healing aka Somatic Experiencing Internal Family Systems (IFS) Other Helpful Links: Wikipedia article on Billerica, Massachusetts Please Note: The views and opinions expressed by guests of this podcast are their own, and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them, their beliefs, or any entity they represent, by neither Mike Chapman nor Polar Life Consulting. **Trigger Warning/Explicit Content Warning** - we will talk openly and frankly about sexual abuse from the victim's perspective. Sometimes cursing may be used, but kept at a minimum. Please practice self-care while listening to episodes and feel free to pause if you become triggered while listening.